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This count’s for you! Everyone, from the average person who just likes to watch a few birds in the yard to the hard-core birdwatcher, is invited to spend as little as 15 minutes watching birds any time from Feb. 15-18. Keep a list, register and submit your data online at www.birdsource.org/gbbc, and you will become a citizen scientist, helping to census our winter bird populations.

In addition, you may help keep Savannah on the map. Ogeechee Audubon members work hard during the four days of the count to tally as many species as possible in our area, and since 2005, we have gotten on the top 10 list of “Localities Reporting the Most Species.”

You can also use the four days of the count as an opportunity to sharpen your bird identification skills.

The Great Backyard Bird Count web site offers tips for challenging species.

Is it a house or a purple finch? Hairy or downy woodpecker? Cooper’s or sharp-shinned hawk?

I was at my parents’ house doing play-by-play commentary for the early morning bird extravaganza — “Bluebird at the mealworm dish; male oriole in the yew tree; three goldfinches on the condo.”

I glanced at the wire above the deck just in time to see a pine warbler land next to an American goldfinch.

“Thanks for posing for a clinic,” I told them as I snapped a few pictures.

As the birds sat side by side, I could compare the thin, pointy beak of the warbler with the broader, conical beak of the finch.

I noted two white wing bars on the pine warbler while the goldfinch had a dark black wing that contrasted strongly with its winter plumage tan body. The adult male pine warbler was much yellower than the winter plumage goldfinch.

After this brief study break, I continued my countdown — “Carolina wren eating mealworms, white-breasted nuthatch on the tree trunk, red-bellied woodpecker at the sunflower feeder.”

Tearing myself away from the feeder bird show, I headed for my car, only to be distracted by movement in another type of bird food — an American holly tree full of bright red berries.

I made a few “pishing” noises and several yellow-rumped warblers hopped into view.

A Carolina chickadee emerged from a bush and began fussing at me with its nasal “chick-a-dee-dee-dee.” Glancing back at the holly, I caught a glimpse of bright yellow — the throat of a handsome yellow-throated warbler.

A good way to add to your bird list, after you have tallied your feeder birds, is to leave the house and wander the yard or the neighborhood, paying particular attention to any trees or bushes with berries, seeds or nuts.

Listen for the telltale “meow” of the gray catbird or the soft “mew” of a yellow-bellied sapsucker. If you happen to live near any sort of water, be it pond, lagoon or tidal creek, look for ducks, herons, egrets or perhaps a belted kingfisher hovering above the water.

Once in a while, our efforts are rewarded with the sight of something unexpected or downright rare. One group birding at Fort Pulaski recently found a western kingbird hawking for insects above the grassy field near the Fort.

Some species have become scarce or hard to find, including American woodcock, northern bobwhite, wild turkey and red-headed woodpecker.

If you see any of these during the four days of the count, or any hummingbird, be sure to submit your data or contact Wild Birds Unlimited at 912-961-3455, and we will submit the data for you.

If you are ready to get out into the field, Ogeechee Audubon will have teams birding at a variety of locations Feb. 16. For more info, contact me at birderseyeview@bellsouth.net. Happy counting!